OPINION: Juggling hobbies while staying human

I am a media consumer. It’s the nicest way of saying I overindulge myself in my free time with movies, books, music and video games.

To me, there’s always been an unspoken social hierarchy of hobbies. If a physical product is made out of these hobbies, it’s typically higher on the list, as it feels more of a reward.

Media, on the other hand, I believe is much lower. Books on top (owing to the appearance of education), with music, then movies and at the bottom with video games. Music could be higher, especially if you’re able to play an instrument, but it depends.

Besides consuming media, I am taking part in Crest Area Theater’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” I like writing snippets of incomplete novels or screenplays which I hope no one will ever read and I take part in an online “Dungeons & Dragons” campaign every other week with a few friends I met in college.

Basically, as an ex-theater kid who still knows nothing about theater, a wannabe writer who can’t finish his projects and a nerd, I know I could be a little bit better at all of this.

One day, I want to cook every meal, I want to swim regularly and I want to sit down before bed to read a book rather than be glued to my phone screen.

In my moments of relaxing, I find myself enjoying driving, no matter where I’m going. I’m not one for meditation, but spending time alone in a car is where my personal thoughts often emerge. I also like spending a couple hours once or twice a week in the relaxing, personal sea of a bath, although I only mention it because it’s perhaps the most useless expenditure of my time.

This is where, I believe, the whole point of hobbies is found: self-improvement. We, as humans, want to be better or become something. We praise the image of multitalented individuals because their peaks are often the only part of them we see. We don’t typically see the improvement over weeks, months or years.

But, and I’ve realized this more as I schedule my weeks out, I’m really bad at keeping hobbies, at least the ones that require any effort.

I like swimming (even when the lifeguards try to correct my horrible technique, most likely to make sure I don’t drown myself), but the closest pool is a 20-minute drive from my residence in Afton and has been under an inconsistent schedule.

I like cooking, but the language of recipes and my ability to understand and prep for them feels like a third grader’s. Some days, it’s just easier to use the microwave or get some fast food. I’m not proud of my weight either, which should be motivation, but convenience is king.

Typically, the free time on the weekend I’m afforded is taken over on Saturdays by the one hobby I can keep in moviegoing. An hour-drive to Des Moines in the morning, a couple matinee movies at Jordan Creek, an indie movie or two at The Fleur, an hour back and I get home in the late evening. It’s a full day which gets swallowed by this, which I must admit even when it makes me happy.

Yet, the effort for consuming media, the hobby I indulge in the most, is negligible. It’s incredibly easy to sit down on a couch and waste away for hours, watching anything from late-night shows to the world’s worst movies on Netflix. I want to read more, but I can only pay attention through audiobooks, and even then I would rather listen to music. How lazy could I be?

I’m an annoyingly sleepy person as well, I have slow starts in the morning and can’t help but spend way too much time on my phone before bed. The solution there is simple, just toss the thing into another room. My tired brain almost always steers me otherwise whether I plan for it or not.

All of this, which must look like the world’s worst personal ad, is a part of growing as a human. Self-improvement in the pursuit of perfection, for me, is something I feel shackled to at times. There’s just not enough time these days to be perfect. Yet, if that pursuit is meaningful and can lead to healthier living, I’m happy to at least try.

Next month, I turn 23, which I try to remind myself is still an early part of my life, especially as an adult. I don’t have everything I want figured out, and that’s all right.